Flintoff clamours for crease after the clicks

With the possible exception of Kevin Pietersen, no England cricketer has felt the Ashes effect quite like Andrew Flintoff. The problem is Flintoff, unlike Pietersen, has never sought the bright lights and clamour, which is why his arrival in Pakistan cannot come quickly enough.

It is not that Flintoff will fail to attract attention in Multan or Lahore. But when he and Steve Harmison join the squad on Wednesday after their participation in the Super Series in Australia, and in Flintoff's case a family holiday in Dubai, he will gladly swap the greedy eye of the paparazzi for bat and ball. If that sounds simple, then that's the way he likes it.

"I'm looking forward to playing again," he said yesterday. "That's what I'm comfortable with. Everything else has been a bit strange with all the attention.

"There are cameras following you outside your house. I mean, how many times can they follow you to Booth's supermarket? It's been irritating, really, and I'm not quite sure how to react. You do try to do everyday things but it's hard when someone's poking a camera in your face."

It is Flintoff's everyman attitude that helps make him such a well-loved figure. And there was another glimpse into the life of the anti-superstar when he admitted he was expecting to be homesick during the seven-week trip. Nine years ago, part of Flintoff's role as captain of the England Under-19 side was to try, unsuccessfully, to persuade Harmison not to quit the tour of Pakistan because he missed Ashington. This time, Flintoff jokingly wonders whether the roles will be reversed.

"It's not ideal leaving my family behind," he said. "I have never spent more than four nights in a row away from my daughter Holly. Everyone writes about Harmy being homesick but I think he's going to have to look after me on this one."

Flintoff struggled with a back injury when England last visited Pakistan five winters ago and his biggest contribution to the 1-0 Test series win came as a sightscreen-pusher on the dramatic final evening in Karachi. Now he is itching to prove himself in a part of the world where he has not always shone: 11 Test innings on the subcontinent have produced a batting average of 15.

"I'm ready to play again," he said. "People have said about the Ashes, 'how are you going to pick yourselves up from that?' I don't think that's the case. We've got aspirations to being the best side in the world."

For now, though, Flintoff has a bit more PR to contend with before he can find solace on the pitch. His autobiography, which he was promoting yesterday in Oxford Street, is expected to be the biggest-selling sports book of the year, though he insists: "I'm a cricketer and I've no aspirations to do anything else."

As if to prove as much, he promptly knocked over a pile of his books as the cameras began to click.